Central Banks
Bank of Mexico trims growth forecast for 2014
‘Sharp slowdown' early in the year suggests little inflation over ‘horizon in which monetary policy has effect'; structural reforms hailed as ‘indispensable step in right direction'
Firm-level characteristics affect monetary policy transmission, Czechs find
Working paper finds firm-specific characteristics like size, age, collateral and profit, affect the way in which monetary policy changes are reflected in the external financing decisions of firms
Bulgaria tells Brussels it can't guarantee failed bank deposits
Enforcing bank contributions to a deposit guarantee fund would destabilise the country's banking sector, Bulgarian governor and finance minister tell European Commission
Bank of Korea cuts interest rate to lowest level since 2010
Decision prompted by ‘much worse' business sentiment than expected, governor says; analysts expect limited boost to GDP as economic slowdown is ‘structural in nature'
Lesotho holds policy as inflation grows in line with neighbour South Africa
Minimum target for international reserves kept at $610 million, which Lesotho's MPC says is consistent with price stability and currency parity with the rand
MAS seeks oversight of credit bureaus
Monetary Authority of Singapore wants to supervise credit reference agencies to ensure sensitive data is held in a robust manner and let consumers access their information for free
New York Fed president suggests Dodd-Frank has made investors ‘more skittish'
William Dudley notes ‘extraordinary interventions' will be more difficult to undertake, potentially destabilising the financial system by unnerving investors
Stagnant wages amid falling unemployment creates headache for BoE
Bank of England halves wage growth forecast for 2014 as unemployment seen falling below 6%; Mark Carney notes ‘wide range of views' on MPC about degree of slack
Paper examines optimal monetary policy for wages and hours worked
Firms tend to pay too little for too many hours, economists argue in ECB-published paper; monetary policy should not target inflation too strictly, they say
Timor-Leste SWF hits 40% equities allocation
Timor-Leste petroleum fund quarterly report shows returns still exactly in line with benchmark; equity allocation hits 40%
Rajan urges ‘direct cash transfers' to poor people
RBI governor says transfer system would give the poor ‘choice and respect' and break the links between poor public service, patronage and corruption
Lithuania takes delivery of first euro coins
1,740 tonnes of coins must be minted ahead of currency switchover on January 1; delivery is supervised by police under special agreement signed in May
National Bank of Ukraine warns of FX trade restrictions
Ukraine's central bank has been forced to intervene to smooth currency volatility, and warns ‘administrative measures' may follow; rules on reserves have been relaxed, however
Malta denies granting refuge to Libyan governor
Central Bank of Libya confirmed Saddek Elkaber has sought sanctuary in Malta ‘for months', Libyan news site reports; minister claims governor ‘runs the bank' from island
Stanley Fischer upbeat on US productivity potential
Fed vice-chair says productivity cycles are ‘extremely difficult to predict'; emphasises possibility that productivity will continue to rise in line with historical average
Norway governor sees greater role for central bank in new 'Nibor' framework
Øystein Olsen sees greater powers for Norges Bank over the interbank rate framework, which has 'obvious weaknesses' and should be overhauled 'as soon as possible'
Angola SWF joins London-based international forum
Angolan sovereign wealth fund joins London-based International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds; Kazakh fund granted associate membership
ECB publishes ‘manual' explaining eurozone banks' comprehensive assessment
Publication of the manual ‘demonstrates ECB's commitment to transparency' on how it is conducting the ‘rigorous' assessment of the eurozone's biggest banks
New frontiers for central banking
Central banks are embracing macro-prudential policies with the same gusto as they did inflation targeting and independence in the 1990s. But they are in danger of over-relying on such approaches
Book notes: Alexandre Lamfalussy, by Christophe Lamfalussy, Ivo Maes and Sabine Peters
This is a fascinating account of the life and career of a great European
The story of Central Banking
Founder Robert Pringle recalls how after a slow start Central Banking achieved lift-off
Twenty-five defining moments
Central Banking identifies 25 of the most significant events to have shaped the official sector during the past 25 years.